Bio-based acrylic monomers and polymers thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a bio-based acrylic monomer, particularly a plant oil-based acrylic monomer, which is well-suited for emulsion polymerization and latex formation in aqueous medium. Polymers and copolymers formed from the bio-based acrylic monomer are also provided. The invention further provided methods for making the monomer from bio-based triglycerides or fatty esters.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/502,342, filed on Feb. 7, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,315,985, which is the § 371 U.S. National Stage Application ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2015/044288, filed Aug. 7, 2015,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/035,114, filed Aug. 8, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The US paint and coatings industry includes more than 1,000 companieswith combined annual sales of about $22 billion and is expected to growover the coming years. Polymer latexes are one of the most advancedpolymeric materials produced for applications in coatings and paints. Aunique process for producing polymer latexes with various properties isemulsion polymerization (free radical polymerization), which involvesemulsification of monomers (or monomer mixtures) and their furtherpolymerization resulting in the formation of latex particles from highmolecular-weight polymers stabilized by surfactants in aqueous medium.This process is waterborne and does not involve any toxic or flammablesolvents. Latex paints are considered much more environmentally friendlythan conventional solvent borne systems.

The prominent polymer latexes for applications in paints and coatingsare made from petroleum-based acrylic polymers or their combination withmethacrylic polymers. They possess excellent properties, such as highweathering resistance, gloss, elasticity, chemical resistance, etc., buthave some disadvantages, including small residues of unreacted monomers(causes unpleasant odor), reduced ability to form films and high cost.

Waterborne polymer latexes represent a significant portion of the paintsand coatings market. For example, 70% of architectural paints sold inthe United States are classified as waterborne paints. The secondlargest market for waterborne latexes is coatings that are applied oncars. Based on a 2011 BCC Research market report, the global market forwaterborne coatings was $70 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow to$110 billion by 2017.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Triglycerides derived from plant oils and fats have proven difficult toconvert into low molecular weight acrylic monomers. Currently, theproduction of fatty acrylates which are available on the market utilizesmultistep synthetic procedures. For instance, the production ofwell-known fatty monomer-stearyl acrylate includes saponification,neutralization, reduction, acylation and other procedures which arequite expensive.

The invention provides a one-step method for converting a bio-basedfatty acid ester, which can take the form of an oil, fat, wax, or otherfatty acid ester, into acrylic monomers that can substitute forpetroleum-based monomers in the production of acrylic polymers. Thismethod can use essentially any plant oil, any animal fat, plant andanimal waxes including insect waxes (provided the wax contains fattyacid esters), or other fatty esters as the raw material. While theinvention is described, for convenience, primarily with respect to plantoil-derived fatty acid esters, particularly those derived from soybeanoil, it should be understood that any bio-derived fatty acid ester canbe utilized. The output of the synthetic method includes acrylic or(meth)acrylic fatty monomers that can be used directly in the productionof latexes, plastics, thermoplastics, resins, adhesives, gels,surfactants, and other products that utilize acrylic polymers.Conveniently, the method does not require expensive equipment and can beperformed in one step using a batch set-up designed for biodieselproduction. It is not necessary to redesign existing equipment forpolymerization or copolymerization, as the monomers can polymerize usingexisting bulk, solution or emulsion methods.

The method allows for the attachment of one acrylic/methacrylic group atthe carbonyl of the fatty acyl group, while keeping all or most of thefatty double bonds in the fatty chain unaffected. The conjugated doublebond of the acrylamide functional group is highly reactive inconventional addition free-radical polymerization which allows formationof linear polymers useful in industrial production of high volumepolymer-based products including latex paints, adhesives, binders,plastics, etc. Advantageously, the non-conjugated (sometimes referred toherein as “isolated”) double bonds in the fatty chain of the monomer(i.e., the fatty double bonds) remain mostly or entirely unaffectedduring free-radical polymerization of the monomer, resulting in polymersor copolymers having unsaturated fatty chains that allow for oxidativecross-linking and further tuning of the polymer performance.

The benefits of the invention may include a simple one step method forconverting triglycerides into acrylic monomers; use of the bio-basedmonomers as a substitute for the petroleum-based monomers in aconventional synthesis, with little or no need to change themanufacturing process; and the presence of two types of double bonds(one conjugated and reactive, the other(s) non-conjugated and lessreactive) at different locations within the acrylic monomers, which arenot present in petroleum-based monomers. These fatty chain double bondsprovide sites for cross-linking, thereby enabling production of polymerswith enhanced functionality.

Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides a bio-based acrylic monomerthat includes a bio-derived fatty acyl group comprising a carbonylgroup; and an acrylic group; wherein the acrylic group is entericallylinked, directly or indirectly, to the fatty carbonyl group. In oneembodiment, the bio-based acrylic monomer that includes a bio-derivedfatty acyl group comprising a carbonyl group; and an acrylamide group;wherein the acrylamide group is enterically linked, directly orindirectly, to the fatty carbonyl group.

In one embodiment, an exemplary bio-based acrylic monomer has formula(I):

wherein R is a fatty chain derived from a plant oil or an animal fat;

R₁ and R₃ are each independently H, an aliphatic group, or an aromaticgroup; and

R₂ is a divalent aliphatic group or aromatic group.

In one embodiment, the fatty chain R comprises a C₅-C₂₁ alkyl group or aC₅-C₂₁ alkenyl group. The fatty chain R may contain 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or6 double bonds; preferably, R contains at least one double bond.

Exemplary plant oils from which the fatty chain R is derived includesoybean oil, high oleic soybean oil, linseed oil, flaxseed oil,sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil, corn oil, cashew nut oil,olive oil, peanut oil, palm oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseedoil, walnut oil, almond oil, coconut oil, or any combination thereof. Apreferred plaint oil is soybean oil. The fatty chain R can be derivedfrom any convenient fatty acid, such as any of oleic, linoleic,linolenic, ricinoleic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, elaidic, euric,arachidonic, eleasteric, stearic, palmitic, arachidic, myristic, lauric,caprylic and capric acid, or mixtures thereof. In some embodiments ofthe bio-based monomer, the fatty chain R can include at least onefunctional group comprising an epoxy group, an acrylic group, or alcoholgroup.

In an exemplary embodiment, R₁ is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is a(C₁-C₁₀)alkylene, an alkylene glycol, or a polyalkylene glycol; and/orR₃ is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl.

In another aspect, the invention includes a method for making thebio-based acrylic monomer. In one embodiment of the method, abio-derived triglyceride, a hydroxy functional acrylic compound, such asa hydroxy functional acrylamide, and an optional catalyst are mixed,heated at a temperature between about 25° C.-60° C. for about 2-25hours, and the resulting monomers are separated from the remainingcomponents of the mixture. In another embodiment of the method, abio-derived fatty ester, at least one of an acrylamide alcohol or anacrylamide ester, and an optional catalyst are mixed, heated at atemperature between about 25° C.-60° C. for about 2-25 hours, and theresulting monomers are separated from the remaining components of themixture. Optionally, the mixture can include a cosolvent, for example inan amount of up to 50% wt.

In another aspect, the invention includes a polymer that includes atleast one bio-based acrylic monomer of the invention. The polymer can bea homopolymer or a copolymer. In the case of a copolymer, the comonomercan be selected, without limitation, from an acrylate, such as an alkylacrylate, a methacrylate, such as an alkyl methacrylate, an acrylamide,a methacrylamide, an acrylonitrile, or any combination thereof.Exemplary comonomers include 1,3-butadiene, a butyl acrylate, a butylmethacrylate, an ethyl acrylate, a hydroxyethyl acrylate, an isoprene, amaleic anhydride, a methyl acrylate, a methyl methacrylate, a2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, a styrene, a vinyl acetate, a vinyl ether, avinyl pyridine, a vinyl chloride, a poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate,a poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, a poly(ethyleneglycol) methyl ether acrylate, a phenyl ether acrylate, and apolyfunctional vinyl monomer.

In another aspect, the invention includes the method for polymerizationof a bio-based monomer, preferably a polymerization method involvingfree radical polymerization, and any polymer formed using the method ofpolymerization.

In another aspect, invention includes a latex that includes an emulsionthat includes a polymer formed from a bio-based acrylic monomer of theinvention.

In another aspect, the invention includes a waterborne coating thatincludes a polymer formed from a bio-based acrylic monomer of theinvention.

In another aspect, the invention include a paint, adhesive,thermoplastic, plastic, resin, emulsion, surfactant, gel, coating or oilthat includes a polymer formed from a bio-based acrylic monomer of theinvention.

In another aspect, the invention include an article that includes alatex, waterborne coating, paint, adhesive, thermoplastic, plastic,resin, emulsion, surfactant, gel, coating, oil or polymer that includesa bio-based acrylic monomer of the invention. For example, a personalcare product or industrial cleaning product may include a surfactantthat includes a bio-based acrylic monomer of the invention.

Advantageously, the monomers can be used as a substitute for manydifferent hydrophobic petroleum-based monomers in common free-radical orionic polymerization techniques. Industrial applications include use ofthe monomers in the production of polymeric emulsions (e.g. latexes),plastics, thermoplastics, resins, adhesives, gels, chemical binders,surfactants, coatings, and paints.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a proton (¹H) NMR spectrum of a representative soybean oilbased monomer (SBM).

FIG. 2 shows a mass spectrum of a representative soybean oil basedmonomer (SBM).

FIG. 3 shows a FT-IR spectrum of a representative soybean oil basedmonomer (SBM).

FIG. 4 shows a proton (¹H) NMR spectrum of a representative soybean oilbased homopolymer.

FIG. 5 shows the chemical structure of a representative soybean oilbased monomer (SBM) (structure A) and commercially availablepetroleum-based 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (structure B) used in latexmanufacturing.

FIG. 6 shows experimental SBM content in an SBM-St copolymer vs. SBMcontent in an initial feed mixture.

FIG. 7A shows calculated and experimental SBM content in SBM-Vac vs. SBMcontent in the initial feed mixture.

FIG. 7B shows calculated and experimental SBM content in SBM-MMAcopolymer composition vs. SBM content in the initial feed mixture.

FIG. 8 shows glass transition temperature (T_(g)) of SBM-MMA copolymersvs. soybean oil-derived fragment content in the macromolecular backbonedetermined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

FIG. 9A shows surface tension in SBA-MPEG MA solutions vs. SBA-MPEG MAconcentration for copolymer containing 30 wt % of bio-based monomerfragments.

FIG. 9B shows the intensity ratio of the excitation spectra of pyrene inSBA-MPEG MA solutions vs. SBA-MPEG MA concentration for copolymercontaining 30 wt % of bio-based monomer fragments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides a new bio-based acrylic monomer, particularly aplant oil-based acrylic monomer, which is well-suited for free radicalpolymerization (also known as emulsion polymerization) and latexformation in aqueous medium. The invention sets forth a one-step methodfor converting naturally occurring triglycerides or other fatty acidesters into acrylic monomers that can advantageously substitute forpetroleum-based monomers in the production of acrylic polymers.Attachment of an acrylic group to the carbonyl of the fatty acyl, incontrast to attachment of the acrylic group to the double bonds in theunsaturated fatty chain, allows for the synthesis of acrylic fattyacid-based monomers that grow as linear addition polymers. Exemplarystarting materials include, without limitation, naturally occurring,non-naturally occurring and/or (semi)synthetic triglycerides or otherfatty acid esters, or any combination thereof.

As used herein, the term “fatty acid ester(s)” includes but is notlimited to esters of fatty acids containing more than five, preferablymore than eight carbon atoms. An exemplary fatty acid ester can bederived from synthetic (non-naturally occurring), (semi)synthetic, ornaturally occurring saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, includingtheir isomers, and mixtures of such esters. A (semi)synthetic compoundis understood to be a compound produced by chemical alteration of anaturally occurring starting material.

The synthetic method is exemplified with triglycerides and fatty alkylesters (e.g., biodiesel) as the fatty acid source, since they arereadily available, renewable and relatively inexpensive; but essentiallyany natural or (semi)synthetic source of fatty acid esters is suitablefor use as the raw material, including plant oil, animal fat, biodieselor bio-derived fatty waste, to produce the bio-based monomer. Byincorporating bio-derived saturated and unsaturated fatty acids fromselected plant and animal sources, these monomers offer uniquefunctionality due to the position, number and nature of internal doublebonds, thereby providing sites for cross-linking and the ability to tuneperformance by affecting properties such as glass transitiontemperature, hardness, autooxidation, surface activity, solventresistance and impact strength.

The acrylamide and (meth)acrylamide functionality has the addedadvantage of a localization of electron density near the nitrogen atomwhich facilitates the formation of higher molecular weight (i.e.,longer) linear polymers during free radical polymerization (compared toother vinyl polymers), yielding polymers that can have molecular weights(MW) of greater than 40,000 g/mol, 60,000 g/mol or higher.

The plant oil-based monomer of the invention is exemplified, withoutlimitation, by a soybean oil-based monomer (referred to herein as anSBM). Soybean oil is considered one of the most abundant and cheapestrenewable materials available in large quantities, and has the abilityto form resins due to autooxidation and subsequent cross-linking. To thebest of our knowledge, there is no open literature report on thepreparation, properties and utilization of soybean oil-based(meth)acrylamide functionalized fatty esters as monomers for freeradical polymerization. Additionally, no latexes are reported from suchsoybean oil-based acrylic monomers as a single component in emulsionpolymerization, or in combination with acrylic monomers to produceacrylic latexes. Replacing all or part of the petroleum-based acryliccomponents in the latex with a natural ingredient will be beneficial forthe broad variety of polymeric materials, wherever paints, coatings,adhesives, plastics, thermoplastics, gels, surfactants etc., are used.The invention accordingly encompasses those materials into which one ormore bio-based monomers of the invention are incorporated.

While soybean oil-based monomers are described herein as an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, it should be understood that for allembodiments described with reference to soybean oil-based monomers, theinvention encompasses and equally applies to analogous monomers that aremade from other plant oils, animal fats, etc. Additionally, while theexemplified soybean oil monomer in the examples is acrylamide or(meth)acrylamide monomer, the plant and animal oils can be incorporatedinto other acrylic monomers, including other substituted acrylamidemonomers.

Exemplary Bio-Based Acrylic Monomers

An exemplary bio-based monomer of the invention is an acrylic monomer(I):

R is fatty chain, preferably derived from a plant oil or an animal fat;preferably R is a C₅-C₂₁ aliphatic group, preferably a C₅-C₂₁ alkylgroup or a C₅-C₂₁ alkenyl group, more preferably a linear C₅-C₂₁ alkylgroup or a linear C₅-C₂₁ alkenyl group. A preferred aliphatic group is aC₈-C₂₁ aliphatic group. The aliphatic group preferably includes a linearchain of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,22 or more carbon atoms, and may contain 0 (saturated), 1(monounsaturated), 2, 3, 4, 5, or more double bonds; the aliphatic groupmay include one or more functional groups such as hydroxyl, methyl,methoxy, epoxy or carbonyl; preferably, the fatty chain is derived froma plant oil, such as a vegetable or a nut oil; more preferably, it isderived from plant fatty acids found in soybeans, including stearicacid, oleic acid, palmitic, linoleic acid or linolenic acid.

R₁ is H, an aliphatic group, or an aromatic group, such as an alkylgroup, an aryl group, an alkoxy group, an alkaryl group, an aryloxygroup, an ether, or an amide; preferably R₁ is H or an alkyl group; inan exemplary embodiment R₁ is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl such as methyl,ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl and the like; R₁ can besaturated or unsaturated; linear, branched, cyclic or heterocyclic;substituted or unsubstituted; R₁ is preferably H or methyl.

R₂ is a divalent aliphatic group or aromatic group, such as an alkylenegroup, an arylene group, an alkoxy group, an alkaryl group, an aryloxygroup, an ether, or an amide; preferably R₂ is an alkylene group; in anexemplary embodiment R₂ is a (C₁-C₁₀)alkylene such as methylene,ethylene, propylene, isopropylene, butylene, isobutylene and the like;R₂ can be saturated or unsaturated; linear, branched, cyclic orheterocyclic; substituted or unsubstituted; in an exemplary embodimentwherein R₂ is an ether, R₂ is an alkylene glycol fragment, such as anethylene glycol fragment (—CH₂—CH₂—O—CH₂—CH₂—), or a polyalkylene glycolfragment, such as a polyethylene glycol fragment(—[CH₂—CH₂—O]_(n)—CH₂—CH₂—, where n=1 to 50, preferably n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9 or 10).

R₃ is H, an aliphatic group, or an aromatic group, such as an alkylgroup, an aryl group, an alkoxy group, an alkaryl group, an aryloxygroup, an ether, or an amide; preferably R₃ is H or an alkyl group; inan exemplary embodiment R₃ is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl such as methyl,ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl and the like; R₃ can besaturated or unsaturated; linear, branched, cyclic or heterocyclic;substituted or unsubstituted.

In some embodiments, R₁ is covalently linked to R₂ such that R₁ and R₂may be taken together with optional intervening atoms to form one ormore optionally substituted rings optionally containing one or moreheteroatoms; in some embodiments, R₁ is covalently linked to N or R₃such that R₁ and either N or R₃ may be taken together with optionalintervening atoms to form one or more optionally substituted ringsoptionally containing one or more heteroatoms.

In some embodiments, one or both hydrogen atoms at the terminal CH₂ ofthe vinyl group (i.e., at position C1 of the monomer) are independentlysubstituted with an amide or nitryl.

As used herein, the term “aliphatic” or “aliphatic group” means asaturated or unsaturated linear (i.e., straight chain), cyclic, orbranched hydrocarbon group. This term is used to encompass alkyl (e.g.,—CH₃) (or alkylene if within a chain such as —CH₂—), alkenyl (oralkenylene if within a chain), and alkynyl (or alkynylene if within achain) groups, for example. The term “alkyl group” means a saturatedlinear or branched hydrocarbon group including, for example, methyl,ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, amyl, heptyl,dodecyl, octadecyl, amyl, 2-ethylhexyl, and the like. The term “alkenylgroup” means an unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon group withone or more olefinically unsaturated groups (i.e., carbon-carbon doublebonds), such as a vinyl group. The term “alkynyl group” means anunsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon group with one or morecarbon-carbon triple bonds. The term “cyclic group” means a closed ringhydrocarbon group that is classified as an alicyclic group, aromaticgroup, or heterocyclic group. The term “alicyclic group” means a cyclichydrocarbon group having properties resembling those of aliphaticgroups. The term “aromatic group” or “aryl group” means a mono- orpolynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon group. The term “heterocyclic group”means a closed ring hydrocarbon in which one or more of the atoms in thering is a heteroatom, i.e., element other than carbon (e.g., nitrogen,oxygen, sulfur, etc.).

In some embodiments of the monomer of the invention, the fatty chain Rgroup can be activated at the site of one or more double bonds, e.g., byepoxidation, acrylation, or by the incorporation of alcohol groups.Briefly, incorporation of acrylate groups or alcohol groups typicallyfirst involves the generation of an epoxide intermediate. The doublebonds can be dcrivatized using cpoxidation, Diels-Alder chemistry, orthiol-ene chemistry. Derivatives such as epoxy-functional,acrylate-functional and alcohol-functional (polyol) polymers arelikewise included in the invention. The fatty chain R group can beactivated either before or after the transesterification reaction (orboth before and after).

In exemplary embodiments, R is a fatty chain derived from a plant oilsuch as soybean oil, R₁ is H or methyl, and R₂ is C₁-C₆ linear orbranched alkyl, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl,isobutyl, pentyl, hexyl, etc., and R₃ is H. Exemplary embodimentsinclude (acryloylamino)alkyl or (2-methylacryloylamino)alkyl esters offatty acids derived from a plant oil such as soybean oil, as describedin the examples below.

One non-limiting exemplary monomer of the invention is:

More generally, the fatty chain R can be derived from any biologicalmaterial, such as a plant oil or an animal fat, including a(semi)synthetic or naturally occurring saturated or unsaturated fattyacid. Suitable preferred unsaturated fatty acids include oleic,linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, elaidic,euric, arachidonic, eleasteric acids. Suitable preferred saturated fattyacids include stearic, palmitic, arachidic, myristic, lauric, caprylicand capric. Suitable fatty acids may include medium chain fatty acids (6to 12 carbon atoms) (MCFA), long chain fatty acids (13 to 22 carbonatoms) (LCFA) and very long chain fatty acids (23 or more carbon atoms)(VLCFA). Suitable naturally occurring plant and animal fatty acids alsoinclude those that are hydroxylated or otherwise oxygenated, such ashydroxy fatty acids that contain one or more secondary hydroxyl groups,exemplified by 2-hydroxy docosanoic acid, 15-hydroxy hexadecanoic acid,and ricinoleic acid (from castor oil). Additional suitable naturallyoccurring plant and animal fatty acids include epoxy and furanoid fattyacids, keto (oxo) fatty acids and methoxy fatty acids. Fatty acidsderived from plant oils, in particular, soybean oil, rapeseed oil,flaxseed oil (linseed oil), canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil,cottonseed oil, palm oil, castor oil, and mixtures thereof, areespecially preferred for use herein.

More generally, the plant oil can be any vegetable oil or a nut oil, ormixture thereof. Exemplary plant oils include, but are not limited to,vegetable oils such as soybean oil (including high oleic soybean oil),flaxseed oil (linseed oil), rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil,canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, palm oil, sesame oil,cottonseed oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and nut oils such as cashew nutoil, walnut oil, and almond oil. The plant oil can be of a traditionalvariety or it can be a high oleic oil, such as high oleic soybean oil,Soybean oil in general is highly suitable due to its low cost andavailability. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated plant oils can alsobe used.

Monomer Synthesis

The invention provides a method for synthesizing bio-based acrylicmonomers that involves a transesterification reaction between a plantoil or animal fat, and an acrylamide-containing alcohol (i.e., ahydroxyl functional acrylamide) or ester. The reaction is a one-stepmethod that converts a plant oil or animal fat into a reactive acrylicfatty acid-based monomer. In one embodiment, the process involves (1)mixing of oil or fat and a hydroxy functional acrylamide with basecatalyst and an optional cosolvent (2) heating the components at atemperature between about 25° C. and 60° C. for about 2-25 hours, and(3) separating the product monomers. The temperature at which thereaction is performed can be between 20° C. and 80° C. Typically thehydroxy functional acrylamide is provided in excess over the number ofmoles of fatty acid; for example, it may be provided at a level of 2.0to 2.5 in molar excess over the number of moles of fatty acid.

As a base catalyst for this reaction, inorganic bases such as sodiumhydroxide, potassium hydroxide, metal alkoxides including sodiummethoxide, and sodium ethoxide, as well as organic nucleophilicadditives, such as triethylamine and pyridine, can be used.Transesterification may likewise proceed under acidic catalyticconditions as well, particularly in presence of Lewis or Bronsted acids.The following groups of catalysts which include homo- and heterogeneouscatalysts can be used: inorganic tin catalysts (such as Sn(Oct)₂, SnCl₂,SnO, etc.); organotin catalysts (such as dibutyltin dilaurate,dibutyltin oxide, etc); sulfuric acid and sulphonic acid catalysts;bismuth-based catalysts; zinc-based catalysts, etc.

As a cosolvent, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, acetone, butanone, ethylenecarbonate, propylene carbonate, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone,water, dimethylformamide dimethyl sulfoxide or other solvent can beused. A preferred solvent is one that will not participate in thereaction; for example, a preferred solvent does not contain an estergroup, an alcohol group, or other reactive group. Moderately polar oramphiphilic solvents are preferred, since one reactant is relativelypolar and hydrophilic (the acrylamide alcohol) and the other isrelatively nonpolar and hydrophobic (the fatty acid). For example,although water can be used as a cosolvent, it may be too polar to servewell in this capacity; likewise, if hexane is used, although it is inertwith the respect to the reaction, it may be too nonpolar. The presenceof cosolvent up to 50% wt. facilitates reaction; however, the synthesiscan be performed without cosolvent as well or in the presence ofnon-ionic and/or ionic surfactant (soap) such as potassium stearate,sodium stearate, other alkali metal salts of fatty acids; additionallyor alternatively, a surfactant can be generated in situ during reaction.The method is applicable to any type of plant oils and animal fats.

The reaction mixture may also include one or more stabilizers, such asfree radical scavengers. The optional free radical scavenger helpsprevent the unintended initiation of polymerization. Exemplary freeradical scavengers include, without limitation, dibutylhydroxytolueneand ionol.

In an exemplary embodiment, fatty acrylamide or methacrylamide monomers(e.g., (acryloylamino)alkyl or (2-methylacryloylamino)alkyl esters offatty acids) are made using a transesterification reaction of plant oilwith acrylamide- or methacrylamide-containing alcohols (e.g.,N-(hydroxyalkyl)acrylamide or N-(hydroxyalkyl)methacrylamide), accordingto the method described herein. As readily available embodiments ofN-(hydroxyalkyl) acrylamide and N-(hydroxyalkyl)methacrylamide,respectively, the hydroxyethyl compounds N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamideand N-(2-hydroxyethyl)methacrylamide are exemplary starting materials,although it should be understood that their hydroxymethyl,hydroxypropyl, hydroxybutyl, hydroxyisopropyl or hydroxyisobutylcounterparts can be used as well.

The resulting fatty acrylamide (or methacrylamide) monomers can be usedas fatty acid based acrylic monomers in synthesis of addition polymers,similar to conventional acrylic monomers that are broadly used forcommercial production of a variety of polymers.

Exemplary synthetic schemes are as follows:

(a) acrylamide alcohol, i.e., N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide+triglyceride:

(b) acrylamide alcohol or acrylamide ester+fatty alkyl ester:

wherein R₁ and R₂ are as above for compound (I); R₅ is H (for thealcohol), or an acyl group (for the ester), for example acetyl—C(O)—CH₃; and R₄ is a H, alkyl, or a primary, secondary, or tertiaryalcohol, or fragment thereof, such as —CH₂OH, —CH₂CH₂OH, glycerylalcohol, or glyceride fragment, and the like.

The present invention utilizes acrylamide alcohols and acrylamide estersas starting materials for transesterification of plant oils, whichcompounds are preferred as starting materials over hydroxy acrylates.Hydroxy acrylates (esters) are inexpensive, but the end result of thetransesterification reaction with hydroxy acrylates is a heterogeneousmix of diesters including bifunctional acrylates (cross-linkers) anddisoyates (e.g., where soybean oil is the plant oil) at equilibriumquantities. The crosslinking compounds, e.g., diacrylates, are difficultto separate and can interfere with linear polymerization. An advantageof acrylamide alcohols is that the amide group is inert in thetransesterification process, thereby allowing the alcohol group to reactwith the plant oil and substitute glycerol, for example, in the case ofa triglyceride reactant, without cross-reaction.

It will be appreciated that when a plant or animal fat or oil is used asa starting material, the result will be a heterogeneous mixture ofmonomers due to the heterogeneity of fatty acids present in the originalbiomaterial. Even at the molecular level, a plant or animal triglyceridemay contain up to three distinct fatty acids, so the monomers thatresult from the synthetic method of the invention will likewise beheterogeneous, each containing only one of the multiplicity of fattyacids that may be naturally present in the plant or animal fat or oil.

Polymers and Polymerization

The invention involves not only the synthesis of novel bio-based (e.g.,soybean oil-based) acrylic monomers, but also their use in free radicalpolymerization and copolymerization. The invention thus further includesa method for utilizing the novel bio-based acrylic monomer in anypolymerization reaction including, but not limited to, free radicalpolymerization, as well as the resulting polymers. Polymersincorporating the novel bio-based acrylic monomer can be homopolymers orcopolymers. The term “polymer” is inclusive of both homopolymers andcopolymers. The term “copolymer” includes, without limitation,alternating or periodic copolymers, statistical or random copolymers,terpolymers, star polymers, block copolymers such as diblock or triblock copolymers, and graft copolymers. A copolymer may be linear orbranched. Suitable comonomers for copolymerization with the novelbio-based acrylic monomer of the invention include, for example, anyvinyl monomer. An exemplary vinyl comonomer is shown below, wherein R isany organic group of interest.

Exemplary comonomers which have significant industrial value and whichcan be copolymerized with the monomers of the invention include acrylicacid, acrylonitrile, acrylamide, 1,3-butadiene, butyl acrylate, butylmethacrylate, ethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate, isoprene, maleicanhydride, methacrylamide, methacrylic acid, methacrylate, methylacrylate, methyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, styrene, vinylacetate, vinyl ethers, vinyl pyridine, vinyl chloride; other alkylacrylates, alkyl meth(acrylates), and ethylene glycol derivatives suchas, for example, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (various molecularweight), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (variousmolecular weight), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (variousmolecular weight), phenyl ether acrylate, and bi-, tri-, tetra- andpolyfunctional vinyl monomers (cross-linkers) such as divinylbenzene andethylene glycol diacrylate, including oligomeric and polymericacrylated/methacrylated or polyacrylated/methacrylated compounds, aswell as derivatives of these various monomers. More generally, anysuitable acrylic or vinyl monomer can be employed as a comonomer.

The bio-based acrylic monomer of the invention is reactive andwell-suited for emulsion polymerization and latex formation in aqueousmedium for further applications in, for example, coatings and paints.Emulsion polymerization (free radical polymerization) can be employed toform polymer latexes, either from the bio-based acrylic monomer, such assoybean oil-based monomer (SBM) as a single ingredient, or from thebio-based acrylic monomer in combination (e.g., via copolymerization)with commercially available vinyl monomers (including, withoutlimitation, acrylates (e.g., butylacrylate), methacrylates (e.g., methylmethacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate), styrene, acrylonitrile,1,3-butadiene; bi-, tri-, tetra- and polyfunctional vinyl compounds, forinstance, divinylbenzene, ethylene glycol diacrylate,polyacrylated/methacrylated compounds, etc., which are widely used inindustry for manufacturing latexes for paints and coatings.

Polymerization of Bio-Based Acrylic Monomers

Bio-based acrylic monomers can be polymerized and copolymerized viacommon free-radical or ionic, in particular anionic, polymerizationtechniques. Examples of techniques that can be used include, withoutlimitation, free-radical polymerization techniques including atomtransfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversibleaddition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), and stablefree radical polymerization (SFRP).

The polymerization pathway of the soy-based monomer in free radicalpolymerization was found to lead to the formation of linearsoybean-based polymers and copolymers, which principally distinguishesthe polymerization behavior of the soy-based monomers of the inventionfrom other soy-based acrylates reported in literature. The acrylicmonomer of the invention is conjugated and therefore readilypolymerizes, as distinguished from soy-based vinyl ethers. Known methodsfor synthesizing fatty acid based monomers include various acylationreactions (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,450,414 B2; US 2008/0183000 A1). However,until now acrylic fatty acid based monomers have not been synthesizedusing direct transesterification of plant oil with acrylamide- ormethacrylamide-containing alcohols, as described herein. Withoutintending to be bound by theory, it is believed that attachment of theacrylic species to the fatty carbonyl group, in contrast to attachmentto the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids or plant oils, yieldsacrylic fatty acid based monomers capable of growing linear additionpolymers.

Advantageously, the isolated (non-conjugated) double bonds in the fattyacid of the constituent monomer remain unaffected by the linear, freeradical polymerization that occurs through the conjugated acrylic doublebond. The amount of double bond remaining in the polymer or constituentmonomer can be determined by any convenient method. For example, theamount of double bond in the monomer or polymer can be determined usingnuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). A typical value for thenumber of double bonds in a polymer of the invention (prior tocross-linking or derivatization) will depend on the biological source ofthe fatty acid, but may range from 0 to 3.0 mole of double bonds permole of fatty acid, more preferably about 1.0 to about 2.0 mole ofdouble bonds per mole of fatty acid. The percentage of the originalfatty double bonds that remain unaffected in the monomer or polymer ofthe invention can be over 80%, over 85%, over 90%, or over 95%, forexample.

Advantageously, the monomers of the invention may substitute forhydrophobic petroleum-based acrylates and methacrylates in the market.Exemplary applications include synthesis of polymeric emulsions(latexes), plastics, thermoplastics, resins, adhesives, gels,surfactants and the like. It is expected that the monomers of theinvention will allow extension of the application of renewable resourcesto substitute for petroleum-based chemicals in many areas andindustries. An important application of the new soybean oil-basedpolymer latexes is expected to be within the very large and profitablemarket of coatings and paints. The natural soybean oil-based monomer isexpected to be a good substitute for petroleum based hydrophobicmonomers such as ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylhexyl methacrylate whichare the base ingredients of latex paints (their content may reach up to70 wt. %). Also, incorporation of new soy-based acrylic monomer intolatex will improve the self-crosslinking ability of the new coatings, aswell as such physico-chemical properties such as film formation andhydrophobicity, and make the coatings environmentally friendly.Moreover, using renewable feedstock will also have an economic impact onthe manufacturing of coatings and paints. Using SBM, stable latexes canbe formed under ambient conditions that can be easily applied usingconventional equipment for making coatings (for example, casting).Besides physico-chemical advantages, no volatile organic residues, andreduced odor and flammability, the new latexes will be environmentalfriendly because of the natural soybean ingredient.

The monomers of the invention find application in a number of diverseindustrial settings. A broad variety of renewable soybean-basedpolymeric materials (not only latexes) can be developed utilizing thebio-based acrylic monomers of the invention. Besides the application inlatex formation and manufacturing of waterborne coatings, SBM is usefulfor designing a variety of renewable soybean-based polymers, inparticular, polymer thermoplastics, surfactants in personal careapplications and adhesives.

Thermoplastics account for more than 70% of all polymers produced. Thethermoplastic industry is expected to grow by 4.9% over the next fiveyears and reach an estimated $8.2 billion by 2017. Plant-based polymerthermoplastics are attractive alternatives for partially replacingconventional acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene,polyethylene etc.

The US personal care retail market is valued at over $70 billion. Thesegment defined as natural products in hair, skin, and cosmetics isvalued at $7 billion. The quantity of surfactants used in this segmentamounts to almost 800 million pounds. Surfactants constituteapproximately 15% of the raw material costs of personal care products.

There is in addition a forecast of almost $50 billion for the globaladhesives market in 2019. Acrylic-based (potential replacement bySBM-based) adhesives are the largest consumed product. They accountedfor 35.4% of the total adhesives consumed in 2012.

In some embodiments, the invention may offer one or more of thefollowing advantages or benefits: it provides a one-step method ofconverting triglycerides into acrylic monomers; the novel bio-basedacrylic monomers can be used directly as a substitute for some or all ofthe petroleum-based monomers in a conventional synthesis, with no needto change the manufacturing process; and/or preservation of double bondsin bio-derived fatty chains, which are not present in petroleum-basedmonomers, and which provide useful sites for cross-linking, therebyenabling production of polymers with enhanced functionality.

The term “comprises” and variations thereof do not have a limitingmeaning where these terms appear in the description and claims.

As used herein, “a,” “an,” “the,” “at least one,” and “one or more” areused interchangeably.

As used herein, the term “or” is generally employed in the sense asincluding “and/or” unless the context of the usage clearly indicatesotherwise.

Also herein, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints includeall numbers subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2,2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, 5, etc.).

The examples that follow more particularly exemplify illustrativeembodiments. In several places throughout the application, guidance isprovided through lists of examples, which examples can be used invarious combinations. In each instance, the recited list serves only asa representative group and should not be interpreted as an exclusivelist.

EXAMPLES

The present invention is illustrated by the following examples. It is tobe understood that the particular examples, materials, amounts, andprocedures are to be interpreted broadly in accordance with the scopeand spirit of the invention as set forth herein.

The examples illustrate an approach for synthesizing an exemplarybio-based acrylic monomer, soybean oil-based monomer (SBM) and utilizingit in a free radical polymerization. The SBM polymer obtained wassuccessfully separated, purified and characterized. Utilizing thisapproach at its current efficiency, 1.05 pounds of SBM can be made fromevery pound of soybean oil. The new SBM can be copolymerized with arange of commercially available vinyl comonomers, such as, withoutlimitation, acrylates, methacrylates, butylacrylates, methylmethacrylates, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylates, and/or vinyl acetate andstyrene, for synthesis of polymer latexes from the SBM.

Example I Synthesis of a Novel Soy-Based Monomer Suitable for FreeRadical Polymerization

Acrylic monomers are valuable reagents in chemical industry,particularly in polymer-related manufacturing. Different acrylationreactions have been developed to synthesize fatty acid based acrylicmonomers. Acrylic species can be attached to the fatty carbonyl group.Attachment of acrylic group to the fatty carbonyl, in contrast to theattachment to the double bonds, allows for the synthesis of acrylicfatty acid based monomers capable of growing linear addition polymers.

Soy-Based Monomer Synthesis

Acrylic soybean oil-based monomers were synthesized usingtransesterification of soybean oil with acrylamide- ormethacrylamide-containing alcohols. The synthetic procedure to producethe exemplary new soy-based monomer (SBM) suitable for use in freeradical polymerization is a one-step synthesis directly from soybeanoil.

A two-neck, 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with mechanical stirrerwas charged with 115 g of N-hydroxyethyl-acrylamide, 150 g of soybeanoil, 150 ml of tetrahydrofuran and 0.1 g of 2,6-dimethylphenol. Thereaction mixture was heated up to 40° C. and 1.5 g of ground sodiumhydroxide was added slowly at continuous stirring. The reaction mixturewas stirred at 40° C. until complete homogenization (approx. 3 hours),and allowed to stay overnight at room temperature. Later the content ofthe reaction flask was mixed with 100 ml of methylene chloride in aseparation funnel. Then the liquid was washed 4 times with 5% brine andseparated by centrifugation. The aqueous layer was discarded and theorganic layer was dried over magnesium sulphate and filtered. Thevolatile methylene chloride was removed by distillation at reducedpressure giving 180 g of SBM. SBM is stabilized with 0.05-0.15 g of2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol.

The resulting SBM contains one acrylic double bond linked to one fattychain which varies between fully saturated, mono- and poly-unsaturated,depending on soybean oil composition.

In the case of transesterification of commodity soybean oil, arepresentative SBM is (acryloylamino)ethyl linoleate:

The structure of the synthesized monomer was confirmed using ¹H NMRspectroscopy (FIG. 1) by the presence of the characteristic peaks of theprotons of the acrylic double bond at 6-6.6 ppm, the peaks of theprotons of the ethylene linkage between the amide and ester groups at3.6 and 4.20 ppm, and signals from the fatty acid chains (0.8 to 2.8ppm). ¹H NMR (CDCl₃, 400 MHz): δ 0.87 t (3H, CH₃); 1.26 (16-18H,(CH₂)₃₋₉); 1.61 (2H, C(O)—CH ₂—CH); 2.10 (3-4H, CH₂—CH₂—CH═); 2.33 dt(2H, C(O)—CH ₂—CH₂); 2.77 (2H, ═CH—CH ₂—CH═); 3.6 (2H, NH—CH ₂); 4.2(2H, CH ₂—O—); 5.35 (2-3H, CH═CH); 5.66 (1H, CH₂═CH—C(O)); 6.12 (1H,HCH═CH—C(O)); 6.3 (1H, HCH═CH—C(O)).

The molecular weight of the SBA monomer was determined usingmass-spectrometry (FIG. 2). After deducing the molecular weight of asodium atom, it is a perfect match (377) with the theoretical averageSBA molecular weight (375). Mass signals of SBM belong to polymerizablemolecules containing N-acryloyl fragment in the chemical structure.

Using FT-IR spectroscopy it is concluded that the appearance of thestrong NH adsorption band at 3200-3400 cm⁻¹, the carbonyl (amide I) bandat 1670 and the NH (amide II) band at 1540 cm⁻¹ indicates the attachmentof the acrylamide species to the fatty fragment. The presence of thestrong ester bands at 1740, 1245 and 1180 cm⁻¹ confirms the ester natureof the synthesized monomer (FIG. 3). FT-IR (film): 3400-3200 cm⁻¹ (N—H),3010 (═CH, CH₂, alkene), 2870-2930 (CH₂, alkane), 1740 (C═O, ester),1670 (C═O, amide 1), 1630 (C═C, vinyl), 1540 (N—H, amide II), 1245(C—C(O)—O, ester), 1180 (C(O)—O—C, ester).

This unique approach for synthesizing a new soybean oil-based monomer isa one-step chemical reaction that not only utilizes commerciallyavailable, low cost monomer(s) and readily available soybean oil; it isalso highly efficient, yielding 93% of product. The resulting soy-basedmonomer is highly reactive, due to the high reactivity of N-acryloyl (orN-methacryloyl) fragments in a conventional free radical polymerizationprocess.

Example II. Free Radical Polymerization and Copolymerization

Our preliminary results indicate that the new SBM can be easilypolymerized by conventional free radical polymerization resulting insoybean-based homopolymers, as well as copolymerized to form copolymersof SBM and vinyl monomers, including styrene, vinyl acetate, acrylatesand methacrylates.

The ¹H NMR spectrum of the homopolymer (FIG. 4), as compared with the ¹HNMR spectrum of the SBM (FIG. 1), shows the absence of the vinyl doublebond of the acrylic functional group that confirms the formation ofmacrochains from the SBM monomer links. Hence, the homopolymer spectrumindicates that the polymer backbone is formed through the polymerizationof SBM acrylic fragments, while the isolated double bonds of thesoy-based monomer remain unaffected during the reaction.

Preliminary results show the SBM polymerizes better than commerciallyavailable acrylate fatty monomer-stearyl acrylate, and forms almost twotimes longer macromolecules in the same polymerization conditions.

SBM—Styrene Copolymer Synthesis

Into a solution of 7 g of SBM and 7 g of styrene dissolved in 40 ml oftoluene, 0.05 g of 2-2′-azoisobutyronitrilc (AIBN) was added, then thenitrogen bubbling was done sufficiently to remove air. The reactionmixture was heated up to 80° C. and allowed to polymerize at thistemperature for 5 hours. During polymerization reaction 1 ml* of 5 wt %AIBN solution in toluene was fed dropwise into the reaction mixture.After that, SBM-styrene copolymer was purified by precipitation withmethanol.

SBM—MMA Copolymer Synthesis

Into a solution of 10 g of SBM and 5 g of methyl methacrylate (MMA)dissolved in 40 ml of toluene, 0.05 g of 2-2′-azoisobutyronitrile wasadded, then the nitrogen bubbling was done sufficiently to remove air.The reaction mixture was heated up to 80° C. and allowed to polymerizeat this temperature for 5 hours. During polymerization process 1.5 ml*of 5 wt % AIBN solution in toluene was fed dropwise into reactionmixture. After reaction is complete SBM-methyl methacrylate copolymerwas purified by precipitation with methanol.

*The amount of initiator solution may vary depending on the amount ofstabilizer (2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) present in SBM.

Example III Soybean Oil Reactive Monomers for Bio-Based Latex Formation

Soybean oil-based monomers (SBM) of the invention can be used inemulsion polymerization for bio-based latex formation. To the best ofour knowledge, there is no open literature report on the preparation,properties and utilization of soybean oil-based acrylic monomers forfree radical (emulsion) polymerization. No latexes are reported fromsoybean oil-based monomer as a single component in emulsionpolymerization, or when it is employed in combination with acrylicmonomers to produce bio-based latexes,

Novel SBM-based waterborne latexes can be synthesized using emulsionpolymerization. The presence of both a reactive (polymerizable)conjugated vinyl fragment (double bond) and a hydrophobic fatty acidfragment in the chemical structure (FIG. 5, structure A) is expectedmake the new SBM very attractive for the synthesis of polymeric latexes,in particular for paint production.

2-Ethylhexyl methacrylate (FIG. 5, structure B) is currently used as oneof the main monomer (up to 70% wt) components in acrylic latex paintformulations. The advantage of this petroleum-based component is facilecontrol over latex paint hydrophobicity and high (co)polymerizationability. The current price for this monomer at the market is, however,around $80/gallon. The use of the novel green component, SBM, in placeof this currently widely applied hydrophobic monomer gives SBM a greatadvantage in potentially becoming one of the main components in latexpaints. Moreover, we expect that the presence of fatty double bonds willencourage ambient self-crosslinking, which would further improve keyproperties and performance of the paints.

It is expected that this new monomer, which undergoes free radicalpolymerization, can be copolymerized with a range of commerciallyavailable vinyl monomers, such as methyl methacrylate, butylacrylate,2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, and styrene, for example as comonomers forsynthesis of new bio-based polymer latexes. Replacing all or part of thepetroleum-based acrylic components in the latex with a naturalingredient is beneficial for a broad variety of materials, where paintsand coatings are used. Advantageously, the properties of latexes andlatex films can be adjusted or tuned by shifting the latex chemicalcomposition from “no SBM in latex” to “maximum SBM content” or anywherein between to obtain the desired performance. Using renewable feedstockwill also have a positive economic impact within the manufacturing ofcoatings and paints.

Emulsion polymerization can be carried out to form new bio-based polymerlatexes using one or more of the novel bio-based acrylic monomers. Thesoybean oil-based monomer can be employed as a single ingredient, or SBMcan be used in combination with commercially available vinyl monomers(e.g., acrylates, methacrylates, styrene), widely used in industry formanufacturing latexes for paints and coatings.

The SBM was synthesized as in Example I and polymerized in free radical(co)polymerization with methyl methacrylate.

SBM—MMA Latex Synthesis

The following are introduced into a 250 ml reactor which is equippedwith anchor stirrer, reflux condenser and thermostatically controlledjacket: 166 ml of DI water; 1.4 g of sodium dodecylsulfate; 70 g ofSBM-MMA mixture (see Table 1 for SBM/MMA ratios).

TABLE 1 Poly(SBM-MMA) Latex Particles properties MMA/SBM, MMA/SBM, D,Tg, mol/mol g/g nm ° C. M_(n) M_(w) PDI 100/0  100/0  80 105 550,000745,000 1.35 80/20 50/50 100 67.2 36,700 97,500 2.7 70/30 38/62 120 50.230,000 90,000 3.0 60/40 29/71 140 33.5 27,000 84,000 3.1 50/50 21/79 16021.7 22,500 78,000 3.5  0/100  0/100 550 −6.0 20,000 85,000 4.25*denotes approximate values **The initiator amount may be adjusteddepending on the amount of stabilizer (2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol)present in SBM.

This mixture is heated up to 70° C. at slow stirring for 15 minutes,then sonicated (QSonica sonicator) for one minute, after thathomogenized with a high-pressure homogenizer (5 passes were carriedout). The miniemulsion obtained is composed of fine monomer dropletswith mean diameter of the order of 40-150 nm. It is transferred into a250 ml reactor which is equipped with anchor stirrer, reflux condenserand thermostatically controlled jacket. This miniemulsion is heated upto 70° C. The polymerization is initiated by addition of 0.3 g ofpotassium peroxodisulfate dissolved in 3 ml of water. Additionally 0.2g** of potassium peroxodisulfate dissolved in 2 ml of water is addeddropwise into the reaction mixture over the course of polymerization.The polymerization takes place in four hours.

After polymerization is done, a coagulum-free SBM-MMA latex is obtained.The latex characteristics are shown in Table 1.

SBM Reactivity in Free Radical Copolymerization

Further the reactivity of the SBM acrylic double bond and monomerfeasibility in free radical copolymerization was evaluated. To this end,experiments were performed in order to determine the Q−e values for anew soy-based acrylic monomer.

For this purpose, in copolymerization of the SBM and styrene (St), themonomer reactivity ratios r₁ and r₂ were determined experimentally bymeasuring an instantaneous copolymer composition (with ¹H NMRspectroscopy at low monomer conversions of 5-10%) (FIG. 6) and employingMayo-Lewis copolymerization equation. Experimental data on r₁ and r₂ forSBM and St are shown in Table 2. Having the experimental r₁ and r₂ forSBM and St, as well as literature data on styrene Q−e values (Q=1 ande=−0.8), the Q−e of the SBM monomer was calculated. This calculationyields Q=0.39 and e=0.58.

TABLE 2 Monomer reactivity ratios for copolymerization of SBM and methylmethacrylate (MMA), styrene (St), and vinyl acetate (Vac). Comonomerpair r₁ r₂ SBM-St  0.18 ± 0.06* 0.85 ± 0.2*  SBM-MMA 0.45 ± 0.1** 2.15 ±0.4** SBM-Vac 9.43 ± 0.7**  0.06 ± 0.01** *Determined experimentally.**Calculated using the Q-e values.

To demonstrate that the Q−e values of SBM can be applied to controlcopolymer composition, additional studies on copolymerization of thesoy-based acrylic monomer with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and vinylacetate (Vac) were performed.

The chemical composition of each resulting SBM-MMA and SBM-Vac copolymer(ten for each monomer pair) was determined experimentally using ¹H NMRspectroscopy and compared to the theoretical copolymer compositions. Thetheoretical compositions were assessed using the Alfrey-Price scheme andthe Q−e values for MMA (Q=0.78, e=0.4), Vac (Q=0.026, e=−0.22), and SBM(Q=0.39, e=0.58) to determine r₁ and r₂ for the SBM-MMA and SBM-Vacmonomer pairs. In the next step, these r₁ and r₂ were applied tocalculate each theoretical copolymer composition using the Mayo-Lewiscopolymerization equation.

It can be clearly seen in FIG. 6 that the experimental and calculatedplots are in good agreement, indicating that copolymerization of SBMwith Vac (FIG. 7A) and MMA (FIG. 7B) can be described with the classicalMayo-Lewis copolymerization equation. Additionally, the Q−e values ofthe new monomer allow the prediction of SBM reactivity in free radicalcopolymerization with other monomers.

To show that the fraction of the SBM monomer units in the resultingmacromolecules affects the copolymers' properties, the glass transitiontemperature (T_(g)) of the SBM-MMA copolymers with a varied compositionwas determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSCdata indicate that T_(g) of the SBM-MMA copolymers changes considerablywith increases in the fraction of the soybean oil-derived fragments inthe synthesized macromolecules, approaching 22° C. when the copolymercontains 30 mol % of SBM monomer units (FIG. 8).

FIG. 8 shows the DSC data indicating that T_(g) of the SBM-MMAcopolymers changes considerably by increasing fraction of the soybeanoil-derived fragments in the synthesized macromolecules.

The results achieved thus indicate that replacing petroleum-basedmonomers in latexes with the new soybean oil-based monomer is feasible.Shown below are the chemical structures of three exemplary SBM-basedcopolymers synthesized.

These structures represent the chemical structure of the copolymers fromthe soy-based acrylic monomer and (A) styrene (SBM-St); (B) methylmethacrylate (SBM-MMA); and (C) vinyl acetate (SBM-Vac). R refers to thefatty acid chains present in the soybean oil, and thus is inclusive ofany of the various fatty chains present in the soybean oil. The valuesfor m and n can vary depending on the comonomers used, thecharacteristics of polymer desired and the relative feed mixtures.Changes in the monomer feed mixture can be used to vary the copolymercomposition and thus the values for m and n. See, for example, FIGS. 6,7A and 7B. In some embodiments, values for m and n can independentlyrange from 1:1000 to 1000:1 mass parts in terms of chemical compositionof resulting macromolecules.

SBM-MPEG MA Copolymers Synthesis

To synthesize SBM-MPEG MA copolymer, SBM (0.005 M), methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (MPEG550MA, molecular weight 550g/mol, Bisomer, referred to herein as MPEG MA) (0.005 M) and A1BN (0.012M) were dissolved in toluene. The reaction mixture was purged with argonat room temperature for 30 min. The copolymerization was carried outunder an argon blanket at 60° C. for 4-24 h until a total monomerconversion of 80-90% was reached. The resulting copolymer was isolatedby precipitation in hexane and purified by multiple re-precipitationsfrom toluene/hexane mixture. Finally, the purified polymer was driedunder reduced pressure at room temperature until a constant weight wasobtained. The resulting copolymer, containing 50 mol % SBA monomerunits, was soluble in toluene, THF and water with limited solubility inacetone, benzene and methanol.

SBM-MPEG MA Copolymers Surface Activity

The chemical structure of the SBM-MPEG MA copolymer is depicted below.Surfactant molecules typically contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilicmoieties, thereby making them amphiphilic and allowing for the formationof micelles (molecular aggregates) in water. The molecular aggregatesare able to take up dirt (e.g., oil) and provide the cleaningperformance often attributable to surfactants in personal careapplications, for example as in soaps, shampoos, facial and bodycleansers, and the like.

Free radical copolymerization was applied as described above tosynthesize a random copolymer from SBM units as the hydrophobicfragments and MPEG MA fragments acting as hydrophilic moieties in theSBM-MPEG MA macromolecules. FIG. 9A shows that SBM-MPEG MA copolymerdecreases surface tension of water, thus, their macromolecules areindeed amphiphilic and provide surface activity to SBM-MPEG MA aqueoussolutions.

To confirm formation of SBM-MPEG MA micelles in aqueous solution,critical micelle concentration was measured using solubilization ofpyrene, fluorescent probe molecules for studying the associationbehavior of amphiphilic macromolecules. A red shift of the absorptionband with enhanced excitation intensity was observed in optical spectrameasurements due to the migration of the probe from the hydrophilic tothe hydrophobic region of the polymer micelles, indicating the formationof SBPS micelles at critical micelle concentration (cmc) 5.5×10⁻⁴% wt.(FIG. 9B).

The complete disclosures of all patents, patent applications includingprovisional patent applications, publications including patentpublications and nonpatent publications, and electronically availablematerial (including, for example, nucleotide sequence submissions in,e.g., GenBank and RefSeq, and amino acid sequence submissions in, e.g.,SwissProt, PIR, PRF, PDB, and translations from annotated coding regionsin GenBank and RefSeq) cited herein are incorporated by reference. Theforegoing detailed description and examples have been given for clarityof understanding only. No unnecessary limitations are to be understoodtherefrom. The invention is not limited to the exact details shown anddescribed, for variations obvious to one skilled in the art will beincluded within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A polymer comprising at least one bio-basedacrylic monomer comprising: a bio-derived fatty acyl group comprising acarbonyl group, wherein the fatty acyl group comprises at least 1 doublebond; and an acrylic group, wherein the acrylic group comprises anacrylamide group or a methacrylamide group; wherein the acrylic group isesterically linked, directly or indirectly, to the fatty carbonyl group.2. The polymer of claim 1 wherein the bio-based acrylic monomer hasformula (I):

wherein R is a fatty chain derived from a plant oil or an animal fat; R1and R3 are each independently H, an aliphatic group, or an aromaticgroup; and R2 is a divalent aliphatic group or aromatic group.
 3. Thepolymer of claim 1 comprising a homopolymer of the bio-based acrylicmonomer or a copolymer further comprising at least one comonomer.
 4. Thepolymer of claim 3 wherein the comonomer comprises a vinyl comonomer. 5.The polymer of claim 3 wherein the comonomer is selected from the groupconsisting of an acrylate, a methacrylate, an acrylamide, amethacrylamide, and an acrylonitrile.
 6. The polymer of claim 3 whereinthe comonomer is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl acrylateand an alkyl methacrylate.
 7. The polymer of claim 3 wherein thecomonomer is selected from the group consisting of a 1,3-butadiene, abutyl acrylate, a butyl methacrylate, an ethyl acrylate, a hydroxyethylacrylate, an isoprene, a maleic anhydride, a methyl acrylate, a methylmethacrylate, a 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, a styrene, a vinyl acetate, avinyl ether, a vinyl pyridine, a vinyl chloride, a poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate, a poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, apoly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate, a phenyl ether acrylate,and a polyfunctional vinyl monomer.
 8. The polymer of claim 1 formed ina free radical polymerization reaction.
 9. A latex comprising anemulsion comprising a polymer comprising the bio-based acrylic monomerof claim
 1. 10. A waterborne coating comprising a polymer comprising thebio-based acrylic monomer of claim
 1. 11. A paint, adhesive,thermoplastic, plastic, resin, emulsion, surfactant, gel, coating or oilcomprising a polymer comprising the bio-based acrylic monomer ofclaim
 1. 12. An article comprising a latex, waterborne coating, paint,adhesive, thermoplastic, plastic, resin, emulsion, surfactant, gel,coating or oil comprising a polymer comprising the bio-based acrylicmonomer of claim
 1. 13. A personal care product comprising the polymerof claim
 1. 14. An industrial cleaning product comprising the polymer ofclaim
 1. 15. The polymer of claim 2 wherein R₁ is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl.16. The polymer of claim 2 wherein R₂ is a (C₁-C₁₀)alkylene, an alkyleneglycol, or a polyalkylene glycol.
 17. The polymer of claim 2 wherein R₃is H or a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl.
 18. The polymer of claim 1 wherein the fattyacyl group comprises a C₅-C₂₁ alkyl group or a C₅-C₂₁ alkenyl group. 19.The polymer of claim 1 wherein the fatty acyl group comprises 1, 2, 3,4, 5 or 6 double bonds.